Golden Boy
by Colorful and Free
Summary: Mario laments on his role as hero of the Mushroom Kingdom...and all the pressure that comes with it. One-shot. Rated K plus for small mentions of violence.


I know how everyone sees me. I'm the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, the golden boy. I'm the one who saves the princess. The one who goes to parties, wins all the go-kart races and earns medals.

The toads want to be me. My brother is jealous of me. Bowser sends his armies to crush me. But they all forget that I'm a regular person, just like them.

It was my ambition that started all of this. Sure, I was a plumber for a long while, but that was never the end goal. That was just so I could eat and pay the bills. Instead, I always wanted to be a hero. I wanted to go on adventures, save lives, date pretty girls. I would do anything it took to reach that dream. Now, I enjoy the benefits, but there's lots of drawbacks too.

I can't make any mistakes. Every jump, every catchphrase, every hop on Yoshi's back has to be perfect. I have to smother Bowser whenever he steals the princess. I have to smile and pretend to be happy whenever the toads see me, even on those dark days when I feel like nothing. It's not that I don't like being there for everybody; I just have really high expectations to live up to. And if I don't meet them? Then I'm not enough. For the kingdom, for Peach, for anyone. Not even for Luigi.

I can't wrap my head around why he wants to be in my place. I can be oblivious sometimes, but I'm not dumb. I've noticed his persistent requests to go on missions with me. I've witnessed him keep his distance whenever the crowds cheer my name. And once or twice, I've even read his journal entries. _I wish I could be more like my bro. He's so cool and popular. Plus, the toads all love him and I feel like nobody appreciates me. _

I wanted to go to his room and shake him by the shoulders. Tell him he doesn't know how good he has it. Point out that when the toads see me, they see a happy celebrity with fame, money, and success and they think I can do no wrong. But when they look at him, they see Luigi. Scaredy-cat, kind, funny, perfectly normal Luigi.

There was even a time when he won first place in a tennis tournament. I should've been happy for him, but instead I got so mad that I walked up to him and grinded my foot onto his shoe. _Way to go, Wee-gee. Nice job. Like being number one? You'll only have this for a little while but it never ends for me. _I said sorry later, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him why I did it. I can talk to my little bro about any problem I have under the sun...Except the reason why I hurt his foot.

I can't tell anyone how I'm feeling, really. I have lots of friends: Yoshi, Captain Toad and his brigade, Rosalina, Daisy. Heck, even Donkey Kong and I are getting along way better these days. But I don't think they'd understand. The closest friendship I have right now is with one of my exes, Pauline. I reconnected with her after that whole odyssey fiasco and I like going out for coffee with her. Sometimes, I delve into how tiring hero work can be, but never into all the pressure I feel. (And I'm just fine with that. After all, she has all of New Donk City to worry about.)

Actually, come to think of it, there is _one _person I can tell. Someone that I love more than anyone. Someone who sees me for who I am. Princess Peach. She listens to me vent about how exhausting everything it can be and I never feel like a burden around her. She'll never remind me of all the things I have and just how _grateful _I should be to be Mario Mario. Instead, she'll listen and only give advice when I ask.

"I have lots of friends, Peachy. And so many people like me. Why do I feel so lonely still?" I asked her one time over tea and cake.

She set her tea cup down and thought hard before giving an answer. "Well...I think it has to do with meaningful connections. Everyone needs people who understand them for who they are. So, when you don't have that, you can feel lonely even with lots of people around."

Peach understands me so well. Maybe that's why I really save her, again and again. Not for the attention or to meet expectations, but because we have that special connection I need so bad. She appreciates everything I do for her (well, mostly everything; I'm still bitter that she ditched me on the moon) and she sees me when she looks at me, Mario, a goofy but flawed man.

I wish I had a solution to all this. Maybe I should be straight-forward with people and let them know what's in my head. Or sit down with Wee-gee and have a heart-to-heart. Or quit the whole hero business altogether. But I know none of those things will make everything 100% better. And there's a part of me that likes the whole routine: rescues, cakes, parties, medals, _winning. _

So, I'll keep jumping in the air, not being scared. I'll be the golden boy the kingdom needs, even if it kills me.

* * *

_Oh, look. Something focused on a character other than Luigi or Daisy. _

_This is a little introspective piece on Mario's pressure being a hero, but also vent. I feel like I have to be perfect when it comes to school, work, and even other people. It's insane how tiring it gets, but at the same time, it's so hard to open up about how I feel. Even online it's tough. (I'm going through a break-up right now and I met my ex online, so that might me part of it.) No easy solutions, but that's how life works you know?_

_-Free_


End file.
